The Minnesota Zoo is home to 64 species of threatened and endangered animals – from the awe-inspiring Amur tiger to the thumbnail-sized Dakota skipper butterfly.  With Endangered Species Day coming up on May 19^th, we want to highlight some of these incredible species, what the Minnesota Zoo is doing to help, and what you can do too!

Did you know that Minnesota Zoo staff coordinates the Tiger Species Survival Plan and its Tiger Conservation Campaign?  Together, the zoo-based breeding program and the campaign to fund on-the-ground conservation efforts are helping secure a future for endangered tigers.  We hope you’ll come to the Zoo to see our impressive Amur tigers, and be inspired to help!  Check out our Shop Smart for Palm Oil page to learn how you can help wild tigers every time you go to the grocery store.

The Minnesota Zoo also cares for threatened and endangered species that are native to Minnesota. Soon we’ll be taking about 600 Dakota skipper caterpillars out of our specialized freezer where they have been hibernating the winter away behind-the-scenes!  We’re excited to begin reintroducing these Dakota skippers to a Minnesota prairie as early as this summer, in partnership with other organizations. You can help butterflies by planting for pollinators!  Also be sure to check out our butterfly guide.

Another way the Zoo supports the endangered species in our care is through the Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program.  Funded through the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, recent grants have helped support critically endangered chinchilla conservation in Chile, research on threatened sand tiger sharks along the Atlantic coast, conservation education programs to benefit endangered golden lion tamarins in Brazil, and much more!  You can help us support our mission to save these incredible species by donating to our conservation programs.